The current insurance co want' £950ish to cover pooch for another year (12 year old Lhasa Apso). In context, this is a dog that Mrs Z would spend a fortune on to keep alive - so long as it's the right choice for the dog. So I insist on insurance.
Main comparison sites don't do comparisons for policies that cover existing conditions (attack by Alsatians needing major surgery in December 2021).
Any recommendations on where to get alternative quotes from or recommendations for good insurers please.
Thanks
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If it were a Pug I could understand the motoring Discussion link :-)
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Or a Rover. AC Greyhound? Bedford Beagle?
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Thought I'd retrieve it to the right forum! Golden!! :-)
Last edited by: smokie on Thu 18 May 23 at 05:04
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Current dog and previous one have both been insured by Insurance Emporium. Our current hound (18 months old) has had a string of vets fees claims since birth (all gastro / digestive related) and they’ve coughed up with no quibbling each time. First premium was (I think) around £300 for lifetime cover for vets fees with something like a £8,000 limit per condition.
We had somewhere around £2,500 paid out in year one and the premium at first renewal went up about £60, which I thought was perfectly fair. Paid out for all claims with the previous boy too, so I’ve been happy with them.
If you’re going for the lifetime vets fees cover, I think you’re kind of stuck with the same insurer for life (as any new insurer would, I think, exclude previous or ongoing conditions) so choose carefully!
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>> First premium was
>> (I think) around £300 for lifetime cover for vets fees with something like a £8,000
>> limit per condition.
>> the premium at first
>> renewal went up about £60
I don't understand. You paid for lifetime cover and still have annual premiums?
I vowed never to have any more cats or dogs, largely because of vet fees.
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@Bathtub. You still have to pay the annual premium. It’s a twelve month contract of insurance. Having lifetime cover just means that the insurer won’t exclude any conditions that you claim for during that year at the next renewal.
Cover remains operative for that condition or illness for the lifetime of the pet, subject to the financial limit in their policy wording or on the insurance schedule.
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I paid insurance for our first dog - any visits were almost always my cost - below the excess or I found out that the problem was not covered.
Her replacement was never covered by insurance and overall kept well. In her last 12 months or so the vet bills rose quite a bit and her last 2 weeks came to around £1,000.
The vet said that he was not hopeful BUT she was a brilliant dog and I had to give her a chance.
Alas she had to be put down.
No dog now - I did not want another only to find I could not look after her properly - walks at 10.30pm on a cold Scottish winter night.
A son bought a dog 2 years ago - she get lots of attention from me once or twice per week -my son pays £480/year. I said give me the £480 and I will pay any vet bills that come along.
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I’m astounded by the sums people pay to look after a dog. Dog ownership is a total mystery to me. I just don’t understand it.
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We foster Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. Any vets bills, food and equipment are all provided.
Scratches the dog ownership itch and we can choose when we have them. Holidays are even covered.
Usually had Labs but are on our first Cocker The flying ears :)
Can be hard handing them back though. But we get further updates.
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Well done FC. We always had collection boxes for them in our pet stores.
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I presume you have never been owned by a dog.
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>> I’m astounded by the sums people pay to look after a dog. Dog ownership is
>> a total mystery to me. I just don’t understand it.
Do you have friends or relatives with dogs?
We've never had one but both my grown up kids' partners grew up in dog owning households and have/had dogs of their own - both Spaniels.
Daughter's was a super pup but for reasons I don't understand he got aggressive with people (and occasionally other dogs as he got older. After several incidents with family he went for a neighbour who came round to do baby listening while my son in law took doggo round the block for a last walk. Damage to her hand required a trip to casualty. He was put down the following day. I think he'd have had to go anyway; incompatible with my (now) toddling grandson.
Son's is a rescue, almost certainly a Covid pup. She's absolutely super with people. He and she were with us over the weekend and she was all over me for cuddles and tummy tickles. She's a begaroo with other dogs though; she cannot be let off lead unless muzzled and even then she'll get in a stushie another dog for no obvious reason.
We thought about one a few years ago but realistically it wouldn't fit our lifestyle; much harder to go away even in the UK. And neither of us have the comittment you need to walk one, even a less energetic breed.
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>> I’m astounded by the sums people pay to look after a dog. Dog ownership is
>> a total mystery to me. I just don’t understand it.
>>
Same as I feel about children.
Each to their own.
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>> Same as I feel about children.
>I’ve heard that view expressed before. How it it iis even possible to equate bringing up a child with owning a dog seems incomprehensible to me but as you say each to his own.
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>> >I’ve heard that view expressed before. How it it iis even possible to equate bringing
>> up a child with owning a dog seems incomprehensible to me but as you say
>> each to his own.
I've brought up two children with a (very) young springer spaniel. All three were trained from an early age. They all thought they were sisters. I've a lovely photo of them all sitting on the kitchen floor, waiting for their relative biscuits and milk. The dog would never have thought about pinching their biscuit or harming them (biscuit hitting the floor may have been fair game), or vice-versa. The children learned to walk by hooking their tiny fingers into the springer's ears and would let go the instant she protested.
The problem's not with dogs, but with untrained dogs. People need to be trained!
I walked past a german shepherd t'other day. It had a muzzle on, but the walker didn't keep themself between the dog and I, It aggressively lept towards me. Perhaps I need to carry a tazer, or pepper spray?
Since moving, there's a 'rat' nearby, that yaps continuously. Thank god I don't live any neary to it!
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I understand what you say BT and I agree a pet can be a good companion for children. What I don’t understand is equating dogs with children or even, as I have heard some people say, that they actually prefer dogs to children.
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>> I have heard some people say, that they actually prefer dogs to children.
>>
It’s not just children...
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I suppose some people do prefer dogs over children, you can drop them off in kennels if you want to go on holiday, easier to train, cheaper to feed etc.
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It probably won't be worthwhile to insure a dog at that age. I stopped insurance when my dog got to nine. The premium climbed to over £1,000 per annum and I had to pay the first £90 and then 25% of the rest of the cost of treatment. Unless there is a massive cost it just doesn't pay, and if there is an expensive treatment, the premium will shoot up.
My last dog developed epilepsy when he was eighteen months old, and was put to sleep with cancer when he was just seven. I was insured with John Lewis who were brilliant and paid out without any problem and very quickly. They even paid out for his cremation and the cost of his purchase as he was under eight years of age
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I've stopped with dog ins, had a couple of claims one paid one not. Quite a bit of faff lots of hoops to jump through.
Premiums are high, not worth to me anymore. If big bill on the dog comes up we'll deal with it as and when.
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We're with John Lewis for our scruffy little rescue mutt. I'm glad we are. It's not just for illness.
I received a large envelope at the end of February about an incident involving Millie on January 9th.. It was from a solicitors in Leeds telling us they were acting for a woman pushing leaflets through the door who had been " attacked" and spent 3 days in hospital on a drip for a finger injury.
Millie does like to help with bringing the mail in but she usually can't get to the door. The letter box is 3 inches from front to back with a flap on each side. The woman would have had to have her fingers through up to the knuckles. I don't believe it !
However, I would find it hard to disprove so the insurers have taken over the case completely. My household cover would have covered it if I had no pet cover.
We'll see what transpires.
Ted
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They'll probably just pay her out, cheaper than litigating it. Even if she did get bitten, it doesn't follow you've been negligent, I think she's failed to exercise proper care. I've done leafleting and there's no way I'd shove my hand in to that extent especially with any sign of a dog the other side of the door.
TBH I'm wary of all dogs. They're all wolves, aren't they? Domesticated of course, but that just means they're in it for the food:)
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..the posties' cure for dogs that bite your fingers is to push a large letter carefully part way through the letterbox, wait till it is grabbed, and then pull, hard.
Seems to work (don't ask me how I know..)
Whilst working Christmas post as a student I was under strict orders not to deliver to a given address as the German shepherd there had savaged two postmen, and proceedings had been started. Given the beast was tethered in the back garden, but absolutely visible and absolutely manic, there'd have been no chance anyway.
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>>a woman pushing leaflets through the door who had been " attacked
Reminds me of back when I was doing a paper round - I pushed the Daily Sketch through the letter box,
and a blood beast terrier tore it to shreds,
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>> The letter box is 3 inches from front to back with a
>> flap on each side. The woman would have had to have her fingers through up
>> to the knuckles. I don't believe it !
Done a few bits of leafleting for causes I'm committed to down the years.
The problem with modern doors and both internal and external sprung flaps is that it's not easy to push a single sheet of paper through without fingers going further forward than is, in practical terms, sensible particularly if there's a dog behind the door.
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>>
>>
>> Done a few bits of leafleting for causes I'm committed to down the years.
>>
>> The problem with modern doors and both internal and external sprung flaps is that it's
>> not easy to push a single sheet of paper through without fingers going further forward
>> than is, in practical terms, sensible particularly if there's a dog behind the door.
>>
The tip of my left index finger is missing after one such incident. The trick, as I discovered afterwards, is to fold the leaflet round a rolled up magazine and push it through with that. Not only safer, but faster too.
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I have been told by someone who does this type of job plus a guy on telly who leaflets for a political party that staff are instructed to use some sort of " pusher " to get the junk through.
Personally, I don't think a full " pushthrough " is needed for a Pizza menu or similar. Tucking under the outer flap is good enough. Seems like an easy scam to me. No complaint at the time, no ambulance or police involvement. Seven weeks to be informed.
I have now put a " No junk mail " sticker on the flap and have fitted a metal catcher inside. Our door opens flush against the wall so I researched a bit and found a cage which folds up as it hits the wall, then springs back to shape. Seems to be working. We did have a fabric bag to do the job, but she just ripped it off the Velcro fixings.
Ted
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>> The current insurance co want' £950ish to cover pooch for another year (12 year old
>> Lhasa Apso). In context, this is a dog that Mrs Z would spend a fortune
>> on to keep alive - so long as it's the right choice for the dog.
>> So I insist on insurance.
The dog is 12 years old with previous history. If you were an insurance company (who's remit is to make a profit) would you insure a 88 year old person with issues? N o you wouldn't.
Its a fact of life that old dogs become uninsurable. From that point onwards you make a judgement about cost/quality of life/condition when stuff happens. Usually the middle one means waving it good bye in a dignified manner.
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Dog Insurance - legacylad
